There are tens of thousands of apps out there putting themselves in the educational category, but few are actually delivering quality content that makes the most of the intimate digital experience that the iPad offers people.

Touch Press has had some great success in the science space with its apps like The Waste Land, Solar System and Periodic Table, and now continues to bring quality video to the iPad in the form of Shakepeare’s Sonnets. It offers an experience of over 150 of Shakespeare’s Sonnets read by the likes of Stephen Fry, David Tennant, Patrick Stewart and many performers from the Royal Shakespeare Theatre Company. It has taken literature on the iPad up a notch. Before the PR hounds started sending out their emails I had already downloaded and was enjoying this app because it took Shakespeare off the page and put it back into the aural experience that it should be. Of course, this is far from the stage where it belongs, but to hear the tones and intonation and see the expression and raised eyebrows on a performers face adds a whole new dimension to comparing someone to a summer’s day.

Add to this perspectives on Shakespeare from leading scholars, access to the Arden Shakespeare’s complete notes and discussion on the history, meaning and purpose of each sonnet and you have a comprehensive package that brings Shakespeare to life through a mobile device. This is the type of resource that can inspire teachers to think differently about teaching and using technology and the type of app we need to see more of.

It is worth paying more than $10 for this type of product – and you should.

Actor Nathan Fillion sent Joss Whedon fans into a frenzy Sunday when he tweeted a link to a website promoting Much Ado About Nothing, a mysterious project that appears to be an adaptation of the Shakespeare play.

The site suggests director Whedon has completed principal photography on the film, working with a cast of actors seen many times in his other projects, including Fillion (Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog), Amy Acker (Angel), Alex Denisoff (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Sean Maher (Firefly) and more.

Fans were sent into a frenzy of speculation because there was little other information about the project to be found online. Since Whedon is currently busy completing the big-budget Avengers movie, it seemed hard to believe that he could take the time out to shoot another film at the same time.

But new information started to flow this morning when an actress who served as an extra on the film blogged about some of her experiences. Much Ado appears to be another guerrilla-style shoot, not unlike Whedon’s cult hit Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, which he put together with friends and family over a couple of weeks during and after a Hollywood writers’ strike.

That’s right, in the midst of Joss‘s work directing The Avengers (which still isn’t completely finished), Whedon managed to film Much Ado in its entirety for release (I am presuming) sometime next year.

If the suggested time frame for release is right, we won’t actually see the film for a while. There are no details yet on how it will be distributed, but Whedon could use the same direct-to-consumer model that worked so well for Dr. Horrible. Whatever the case, his fans are primed and eager to see what Shakespeare looks like in the hands of their geeky hero.

Edit: The movie’s website now features a press release (PDF) that includes the cast list. It should be interesting to see Sean Maher play a villain.